Returning planes and passengers to the skies

Restarting a jet engine is a complex, coordinated engineering process. An electric motor spins the engines’ turbines until enough air is flowing to light the engine. Compressed fuel beings to flow and is then ignited, providing thrust. Then the plane, its passengers and its cargo to take to the skies.

The restart of aviation is as complex and requires as much, if not more, coordination as starting a jet engine. In the first half of 2020, passenger demand and revenues collapsed. Airlines are facing bankruptcy, and the sector which powers global travel and trade has nosedived. In this second half of the year, the sector needs to tackle four sets of challenges simultaneously. The aviation sector needs to work together and collaborate to safely return planes and passengers to the skies.

The first challenge to tackle is getting planes air-bound. To weather the pandemic, airlines have slashed ticket sales and pared costs to the bone. Now more than ever, airlines need government support. Otherwise, they will not have the necessary capital to welcome passengers back on board. With airlines around the world struggling to remain solvent, continued government support is essential to getting airborne again.

Airlines will also need to be ready to meet new regulatory requirements. Their personnel, their pilots and their maintenance crews, are critical. They need to be ready to resume operations throughout the recovery period. Their supply chains and infrastructure also need to be operational. That means ensuring slots are available for planes to take off and to land. Ground crews need to support fast turnaround times while maintaining social distancing regulations, and finally, aviation infrastructure needs to be able to support a return to the skies.

Second, the industry needs to work as one to ensure aviation does not become a vector for spreading COVID-19. Economies need to open up while mitigating the risk of new waves of infection. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has developed and disseminated its “Take-off Guidance”, which incorporates the results of extensive medical consultation in its advice. By following such guidance, the industry can ensure it restarts safely, protecting passengers and employees alike. Governments worldwide also have to implement the guidance as a matter of urgency.

Nations need to use multilateral action to ensure virus-mitigation strategies remain adhered to. National populations need to follow quarantining and social-distancing measures, otherwise the industry’s restart will be at risk of lagging and the public will remain hesitant to travel. Both public health and international economic recovery will be threatened should the right practices not be implemented.

While ensuring public health, aviation also needs to welcome passengers back on board. Currently, many passengers remain grounded due to ongoing government restrictions. It is critical for the industry for these measures to be lifted, where it is safe to do so. Furthermore, passengers need to feel reassured that they are safe while travelling. Passengers are concerned of the threat of contracting COVID-19, or being stranded overseas. Aviation and tourism needs to collaborate and adhere to IATA and ICAO’s guidance. Confidence must be restored in air travel through a careful and measured application of the necessary precautions.

Finally, airlines need to coordinate with tourism authorities to stimulate demand for travel. Passengers need to be enticed to visit destinations by air. To encourage tourists, attractions need to provide incentive packages that welcome international travellers. To stimulate demand, tourism boards, stakeholders and airlines need to work side-by-side. They need to show destinations are as safe, stunning and rewarding as they were before COVID-19.

In the Middle East, aviation supports US$ 130 billion of economic activity. Some 2.4 million job rest on the sector's success. Globally, up to 65.5 million people rely on air-transport for their livelihoods. Each week without planes in the skies puts airlines, their employees, and the entire world’s economic recovery in increasing jeopardy. As such, these four challenges need to be addressed urgently and simultaneously. Together, airlines and governments can lay the runway for aviation's recovery.

Muhammad Ali Albakri, regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East (AME), International Air Transport Association